Home is where the heart is
by missfk21
Summary: Flay Allster survives the first war and wants to help build peace between Naturals and Coordinators. Along the way,she finds love and happiness with the most unlikeliest of people - Yzak Joule
1. Chapter 1

C. E 73, Apriliius City, The PLANTS.

This wasn't going to be easy. But nothing in the last two years had been easy. Yet, it had to be done - all loose strings must be tied if she were to move on. She took one last look at her appearance in the mirror (deep blue wrap around dress, not a single strand of hair out of place), took a deep breath , left the hotel room and headed for the taxi awaiting her downstairs.

Flay looked out of the window of the moving taxi. She had arrived the night before with a few of the Professors and as such had not been able to see much. But now during daytime, she could see the place more clearly. She was in the PLANTS, a place for coordinators. Everyone she saw, men, women and children, were all coordinators, but they just looked normal; civilians going about their day-to-day lives, women with shopping bags, men with brief cases, children playing in a park. To her surprise she noted she was fairly calm and composed, no overwhelming fear, no pounding heartbeat or shortening of breath and best of all, no hatred or absurd notions whatsoever. Silently, she prayed this calmness would stay with her for the next couple of hours. She was relieved that her meeting was going to be in a Cafe and not a ZAFT base. She was secretly grateful that ZAFT had not granted her permission to have the meeting on any of their premises; she was a natural and a former Earth Alliance soldier, not to mention a former prisoner of ZAFT. Far too risky from ZAFT's perspective, she guessed. They had agreed to her request but on condition that it be held somewhere else. Since the Cafe had been chosen by ZAFT, Flay was certain she would be watched but she didn't care. She had no desire to be in ZAFT territory, surrounded by war machinery, surrounded by green, red and white uniforms.

She was a few minutes early. She was taken to a table where she politely declined to order anything, telling the waiter she was waiting for someone. The cafe's decor had a warm and friendly feel to it. There weren't many customers; two young women appeared to be catching up on gossip, an elderly couple with a baby in a pushchair, presumably babysitting their grandchild, a man in a business suit, typing away on his Tablet and another man, almost hidden behind some large indoor plants, reading a newspaper. Just as she'd finished observing her surroundings, she heard the waiter greeting someone. She turned and looked.

It was him.

It was Yzak Joule.


	2. Chapter 2

Yzak Joule looked at the direction the waiter had pointed in. He was curious what this was all about. He had been told by his superiors that a request had been made by a former Earth Alliance soldier to meet him. At first he was indignant .What the hell was that supposed to mean? He didn't know any Earth Alliance soldiers. Why would he anyway? The Colonel had replied "Commander Joule, we do not doubt your loyalty so rest assure on that note."

This shut Yzak up straightaway. The Colonel had touched upon a raw nerve. It had only been a year since his trial. Had it not been for Chairman Durrandal, Yzak Joule would not be a respected Commander in ZAFT at this moment ; he would be dead, known only as a traitor to ZAFT, The PLANTS and co-ordinator kind. That was why he worked harder than any other Commander; to prove his loyalty ( and he _was_ loyal damn it !) his gratitude and his worth. Sometimes, he wondered if being in ZAFT was the _only_ thing he could do; at least he had the power to makesomedifference.

"The soldier, or rather, the former soldier, wishes to meet you to thank you in person for saving her life. She happened to be on the escape shuttle you had pushed away out of the line of fire of the ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam during the second battle of Jachin Due."

He stopped and looked directly at Yzak, whose face had for the briefest of moments a surprise look, before resuming it's normal expression.

"Well, this young lady wrote to ZAFT HQ a while ago. Even though she is a civilian now, we still had to do background checks on her before giving her our approval. Luckily for her, she appears to have friends in high places..."

Seeing Yzak's eyebrows go up enough to indicate a slight amazement, the Colonel smiled and said " I meant high places in The Atlantic Federation, NOT The PLANTS".

"Sir" was all that Yzak replied.

"Anyway, to cut a long story short, she will be here tomorrow morning. We arranged it such that it would coincide with your time on Aprillius. We didn't tell you of this earlier as we were not sure of some details. Apparently, the young lady also served some time on The Archangel during the war."

Now this really caught Yzak's attention. Someone from the Archangel? He didn't want to admit it but he was actually becoming interested at this point.

"You understand of course, there will still be a need to be cautious. You will need to submit a report on the meeting. Here's the file".

"Thank you Sir".

He did not expect to see Flay Allster's photograph on the very first page of the file.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note : I know Yzak*Flay does not enjoy much of a fandom so I don't expect many reviews. But thanks to those who have taken the time to read this. I can only hope you enjoyed it.

She inhaled sharply. _Keep calm_ she told herself. She had prepared herself for this. But she had not expected to see Yzak Joule in the white uniform of a ZAFT commander. Memories of Rau Le Crueset came flooding back, and with them, all the anxieties, fears, repulsion and disillusionment.

Yzak looked directly at her as he walked up to her. He didn't look too pleased to be here. But then, he never had.

"Flay Allster", he said, in a tone that implied he was merely stating a fact rather than confirming her identity. There was no need for him to confirm her identity; he'd seen her often enough, on board the Vesallius, hunched back and scared. He had been annoyed that he had no idea why she had not been treated as a prisoner, annoyed that she had been the first natural he had ever really had any contact with (he was a child of The PLANTS after all) and annoyed that her mere presence had given a human face to the enemy.

"Yzak Joule" she replied, in as clear a voice as she could muster. He gestured her to sit down, she complied obediently. For a minute or two, neither said a word; Yzak somewhat suspicious and uncertain about the meeting, Flay, anxious, hesitant and a little fearful, both clearly uneasy about the situation. _You can do this Flay_, she told herself_. After all, you've seen everyone else and he's the last one on the list. _She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and was about to say the words she had been rehearsing all morning when she heard Yzak's voice, crisp and clear.

"So what do you REALLY want to see me about?"

Despite the advice given to be cautious, Yzak feeling merely irritable got straight to the point.

A little taken back by his bluntness, Flay took a moment to regain her composure. Still feeling a little intimidated by his penetrating gaze, she looked up at his face, focused her eyes on his nose and said "What do you mean? Didn't they tell you?"

"Of course they did. But I want to know the real reason. And don't give me some I want to thank you for saving my life crap".

"Well, that IS the reason I am here" replied Flay, feeling annoyed. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Humph, a former prisoner of war returns to her enemy to say thank you? Don't you think that's a little hard to believe?"

"If you see it that way I suppose then, yes, it is. But I haven't come back to thank my captor, I've come back to thank my saviour", Flay replied with more confidence than she felt at that moment. And it seemed to have worked. It shut Yzak up. After a few seconds, he leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms and looked at her. Flay continued with her well rehearsed little speech.

"I am grateful for your action during the Second Battle of Jachin Due. I understand you are a very busy man and I appreciate your coming here this morning to see me. I have been trying to see you for a while now and I hope you will accept my sincerest thanks and appreciation".

She stopped. There she'd said it. She felt relieved. She looked at the table now, waiting for a reply. One minute, two...now if only he would say something, this would be over and done with.

Three minutes, four..._ just say something, anything and stop making me feel so uncomfortable_ was all she could think of.

"Finished with your little speech?"

Was there a hint of contempt she detected? Or was it amusement?

She looked up. His features looked just a little more relaxed than before; his eyes looked just a little less tense. This must be a good sign surely, she thought.

With a small smile, she nodded her head in agreement. Suddenly, she remembered something.

"Will you tell me something?"

"What?" his face looked tense again.

"Why … why did you do it?"

She did not have to spell it out. He understood perfectly well what she meant. Why indeed. He looked away for a moment.

"It was an act of impulse I guess. Your shuttle was unarmed, defenceless. The shot the Providence Gundam aimed at you was unnecessary. I was close by and..." he shrugged.

Flay waited for him to continue.

He didn't.

After a couple of minutes, as if she had taken time to absorb the meaning of his words, she simply said "Thank you."

Yzak turned to look at her, paused momentarily and said

"You're welcome".

There was just a hint of warmth enough in his voice to give Flay the confidence she had needed. If she could meet Yzak face to face and talk to him, then she could embark on her mission.

"Why did you leave the Earth Forces?" Yzak asked, straightening himself and facing her again, the crisp tone back in his voice.

"Well, I was never really a soldier to begin with..." Flay began.

"I always thought as much" he said, his voice somewhat triumphant.

Somewhat miffed - although she knew she shouldn't be - she felt she needed to defend herself and clarify her position during the war.

"I was a student in Heliopolis, when the colony was attacked by ZAFT. My escape pod was rescued by The Archangel. While onboard, I decided to volunteer for the Earth Forces. My duties there revolved more around housekeeping". If he didn't think much of her before, he would think even less of her now. He was a Commander, one of ZAFT's elite Reds, a Mobile suit pilot who fought battles. He probably thought nothing of those who did housekeeping or repair and maintenance of ships or other such lowly professions.

"You volunteered because you felt grateful to the Archangel ?" his voice sounded somewhat incredulous now.

"No", she was beginning to get irritated now." I joined because...because..." Her voiced trailed off. She didn't want to discuss that now. She was not here to discuss her personal life.

"I joined because I wanted to help with the war effort. I didn't know what I could do, I just wanted the war to end," she said looking away.

Yzak looked at her face, as though he was trying to read her thoughts. Whether because he was unsuccessful in doing so, or maybe because he was just curious, he continued with his questioning.

"Why weren't you with The Archangel in Alaska?"

"I was being transferred when Commander La Cruset found me," she replied without turning her face. She was thankful he did not press her any further. Maybe he had sensed her discomfort.

"So what do you do now that you are no longer with the Earth Forces?" he enquired.

She turned her head to face him and replied "After the war, I decided to go back to College. I'll start my final year in a couple of week's time" She paused for a moment before continuing. "Actually, I came here with a couple of Professors. While they meet their counterparts at Aprilius University, I will be meeting with some of the students and other interested parties here. I am hoping to start a cultural exchange programme between the Atlantic Federation and the PLANTS. "

Upon seeing Yzak's slightly raised eyebrows, she gave a small smile. "I believe that if coordinators and naturals from these two nations had more contact, were engaged in some sort of dialogue, then there would be less ignorance and hatred on either side. We may not have to fight again. Once I graduate, that's what I hope to focus on. Hopefully, I'll be able to find like-minded people here during my stay".

"Do you think it's that easy? People will forget the past, the last war and want to be friends?" Yzak asked, his tone indicating the skeptic expression his face wore.

An image of her father's ship being blasted flashed before her eyes. Her expression changed, just slightly, but enough for Yzak to see the pain.

"No, but if we are to move forward, we have to move beyond the hatred. Ignorance and fear lead to hatred and hatred leads to pain" her eyes narrowed as she remembered her time on the Archangel. Clearing her face, she said "Besides, if someone like me can be involved in such a programme, why not others?"

"Maintaining peace between nations is the job of politicians and the military. What good would a bunch of civilians singing and dancing or whatever this cultural exchange programme entails do to establish peace?"

"You are wrong", replied Flay, shaking her head. She plunged into history and cited various examples of how people had come together which had lead in establishing better relations between countries. When she finished, he merely said, "hmmm".

With a sigh, Flay said ""Look, my cab will be here shortly so, I should go. Once again, thank you for seeing me." Seeing her get up Yzak, being the gentleman, got up and followed her to the door. She stopped for a second, opened her bag and taking something out said "Here's my card. If you are ever on Earth, anywhere, and want someone to show you around, give me a call." She gave him a small smile before getting in the car.

"Crazy girl", he thought. He said so as much to Dearka, joining him where the latter had been seated , hiding behind a newspaper, a witness to the conversation that had taken place just moments ago. Yzak's table had been bugged; ZAFT did not want to take any risks with a former EA soldier, even if the request had been an innocent one.

"But definitely beautiful. I only met her once and yeah, I thought she was crazy back then but she seems to have overcome her hatred of co-coordinators".

"You didn't think the other girl was crazy when she tried to stab you with a knife" Yzak almost sneered. He regretted it straightaway; Dearka was his best friend and he was still not over the brief liaison with Miriallia Haw. Luckily Dearka, the ever jolly friend of his, overlooked the comment.

" So what's your verdict?" Dearka asked.

"The girl doesn't need to see me, she needs to see a psychiatrist!"

Seeing Dearka raising his eyebrows in a questioning manner, Yzak continued " I mean, she gets captured as a prisoner of war, then is thrown out in the midst of battle, in a helpless life pod. And despite having undergone all of that, two years later, she turns up to say thank you for saving my life. Unbelievable! "

"Maybe she's just well mannered?"suggested Dearka in his usual carefree manner.

Upon seeing Yzak's annoyed look, Deaka continued " Well, I didn't think she meant you any harm. Did you?"

After a pause, Yzak replied, "No, I suppose not. Although at times I felt like there was something more to what she said. "

"Maybe she just has personal issues," Dearka suggested.

"Maybe" came the reply, as Yzak handed the transmitter he had removed from his table to Dearka.

"You didn't really answer her question did you? About why you saved her shuttle "queried Dearka.

"What was I supposed to tell her? In the midst of battle, I was confused? I was fed up with all the killing? "Yzak snapped.

"No, I suppose you couldn't tell her you were kind of switching sides," Dearka quipped.

Yzak just glared at him. After a minutes' silence, leaning back in his chair, he said " You know, I never would have guessed that Flay Allster would one day come all the way to The PLANTS just to see me. She used to be scared of her own shadow when she was on the Vesallius! Guess she's changed".

"Yup, war does that to people". Pausing momentarily, Dearka finished his coffee and said " So, what's going to be in your report?"

Frowning slightly at him, Yzak replied " Suspect harmless."


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note : Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed and those who have added this story to their Story Alerts. It encourages authors tremendously

Disclaimer : I realised I forgot to do this earlier on, so here goes : I do not own Gundam Seed.

Flay smiled to herself as she settled in her seat on the shuttle. The last few days had been better than she had expected. The people she had met at the University had been keen on her proposals and seemed very sincere. On a more personal level, she was glad she had spent all this time amongst coordinators, had interacted with them and spoken articulately with them. Even though there had been times when she had experienced uneasiness upon witnessing the coordinators' superiority , she was nevertheless happy with her performance. She had held her own even against Yzak Joule. Oh yes, Flay was in a triumphant mood indeed. Things were finally going well.

She closed her eyes and held on to the sides of her seat as the shuttle began to take off. She had always hated this part of space travel. She would think of other things, more positive, more pleasant if possible, to take her mind off this. She thought of the journey she had undertaken since the end of the war. Two years and only now she would be able to hopefully move forward . The last time she had been in space was two years ago. When the escape shuttle from the Dominion had been saved by the Duel, she had once again told the rest of the Dominion crew to head to the Archangel. But in the midst of battle, watching their old ship blown into a thousand pieces by the Archangel, the crew , too scared to trust a ship which had until moments ago been a foe, refused to obey their late Captain's last orders and sought refuge with the remnants of the Earth Alliance Forces. Flay had been almost distraught, so near yet so far, torn away from Kira and the Archangel yet again! But at least, they were all alive. And she would find them and speak with them.

Back on earth, the EA Forces had questioned her and the rest of the Dominion crew about the final moments of the fateful ship. Luckily, they were too preoccupied by the scale of the losses they had suffered. Too embarrassed and humiliated by the actions of Azrael , they had decided not to question her any further after she had broken into tears while relating the time on the Bridge.

"Emotional" was what one of the EA Officers had said, "Too distraught "another old fogey had commented. "Best to hand her her discharge papers and send her back to her home" he had said.

But where was home? And who was she to live with? The thought had simultaneously terrified and depressed her in the time after her father's death. But now, it didn't scare her as much. She had been through the worst and survived it. She discovered she had a great uncle, old and not interested in being saddled with a teenager traumatised by the horrors of war. But he was her legal guardian until she turned 18. So they reached an agreement, she would live on her own, with at least a couple of servants, all expenses paid (the Allster family fortune was significant and she was the sole heiress) ; in return, she would go back to college , study hard , stay out of trouble and get her degree.

So Flay embarked on a new stage in her life. The first thing she did with this new found independence was to pay a visit to Orb where she met the Argyles. They didn't look too pleased to see the girl who had caused their young son grief – and a friendship.

"The girl has no shame. First she disregards her father's decision as soon as he's dead, then hooks up with Sai's best friend and now, is here to see Sai again. Some nerve!" she had overheard Mrs Argyle saying to her husband outside the living room where an anxious Flay had been seated.

"Sssh, not so loud, she might hear you" came Mr. Argyle's voice.

"So what ? When we knew her as a child I never would have guessed she would turn out like this. And to think we used to think she would make a good match for our darling son. "

"Look, the girl's lost her father, and she's so young…"

"We are **NOT** re-newing the engagement !" had been Mrs Argyle's determined reply.

"You are getting carried away. She said she wanted to see Sai. Maybe it's all harmless" was the last thing she heard along with footsteps moving away from the living area. Flay had closed her eyes. She hoped her meeting with Sai would go better. And it did. It was brief. After expressing their joy in seeing the other was well and had survived the war, there was an awkward silence.

"I am sorry for hurting you Sai" she had said, looking down at her hands. "I wish I had been able to see things clearer; I wish I had been able to deal with my confusion and grief better". Then, looking up at him, she gave him small smile and said " Thank you for looking after me. Good luck with everything".

Sai had given her a wistful smile in return, and simply said " You too Flay. Take care of yourself".

But Sai had also forewarned her about Kira and Lacus. And she was glad for this; she had been better prepared to see Kira.

Flay opened her eyes and turned and stared at the ceiling of the shuttle, a blank expression on her face. She had tried not to think about that meeting for a long time, it made her sad and merely added to her sense of loss and shame. On the positive side, the meeting with Kira had given her a sense of closure.

"I am sorry, " she had said, looking away from him to the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, her red hair blowing in the wind. " All the time on the Archangel, I was confused and engulfed in my own pain. I wish I had treated you better. I didn't see you for who you truly are. And when I did, it was too late"

She had turned to see him looking at her, the boy who had become an unwilling soldier, his eyes holding a faraway look, almost as though what she had said had happened in another lifetime. With a sinking feeling, she thought perhaps it had been another lifetime. After what seemed like one of the longest minutes of her life, Kira had slowly said " We both made mistakes Flay. So much has happened in the last year. I never thought I'd be involved in a war, least of all, be a Mobile Suit pilot". His voice had trailed away; once again he was in a distant place, reliving the horrors of war, the countless deaths, the endless pain. Once again, they were so near and yet so far, she had thought sadly.

Kira had asked her what she was going to do. "Finish College" she had replied. He had given her a wistful look, which had made her want to hold him close to her, to comfort him with all the sincerest and fondest of emotions. But she had stopped herself from doing so when she heard the laughter of children, followed by voices calling out to Kira. Seeing past Kira's shoulder, she saw the children playing with a ball on the beach. And she saw the children surrounding a figure in a flowing dress and long pink hair. Even from this distance, she could sense the serenity, the calmness of this scene and the person responsible for this. She would hopefully heal Kira, thought Flay glumly, a tinge of unease and jealousy that the one to do so should be the same girl Flay had threatened to kill at one point.

"Good luck" Kira's words had made her look at him again.

"Good luck to you too Kira", she had replied, managing to give him a small smile before turning away. Flay had lost her chance and now, there was nothing left for her to do but to move on.

Her last stop was at Miriallia's, to condole with her Tolle's death and to just talk things through. Miriallia had arranged for Captain Ramius to drop by for a visit. After an exchange of all that happened on board the Archangel and the Dominion in the final battles, the latter had asked her if she would like to stay on in Orb. At one point, Flay might have been tempted but now, there just didn't seem any point in her staying in Orb; she seemed to have burnt all her bridges back to Orb she'd told Murrue. The Captain had held Flay's hands and reassuringly said " You will always have a place in Orb if you want to live here".

And that was the closest Flay Allster had come to finding a home.

Back in the Atlantic Federation, Flay had had to re-start her life. It had been difficult at first, the rich kids there still enjoyed their carefree lifestyles. She found she could not participate in the world of clubbing, partying, gossiping; it all seemed so shallow. As hardly any of her new classmates had been involved in the war, it was difficult to connect with them. Even Misha and Jessica, her friends from Heliopolis were carrying on with their lives as if nothing had happened. But Flay was determined to start anew. She kept herself busy, swimming, yoga, aerobics, jogging, painting, sketching, reading, sewing, _**anything**_ that could keep her mind off sad memories. She even took to spending time with the servants, learning to cook from them, just to put loneliness at bay. With time however, she did manage to make a few friends. She had known them as children, and now, even though they had such different personalities, she managed to find some sort of a bond with them. There was Damien, who had taught her the joy of dancing, Bart who had the reputation as a womaniser but really, was a lonely young man, neglected by a rich father much like she had been and Michelle, who always looked at the bright side of things. Flay smiled as she thought of her friends. They had made her laugh again and had been very supportive of her work. She had made a home, and these people helped her forget, albeit temporarily, how weak it's foundations were.

With these thoughts giving a boost to her already triumphant mood, Flay landed on Earth. _Things are coming together_, she thought.

A week later, she switched on the TV. There was only one news item being covered by all the stations: the drop of Junius Seven.


	5. Chapter 5

CE 75

Yzak frowned while looking at the papers. The schedule for the upcoming peace talks in Paris had been altered yet again; some official from the various parties involved had altered his schedule _again_, which meant that he, Yzak Joule had an entire day free from any meetings whatsoever! What a waste of his time!

"I see you are in a good mood ", said Dearka as he entered Yzak's office. "Must be all that extra time in Paris that's cheered you up" he grinned.

" This is the fifth time they've changed my schedule in the last two weeks", Yzak replied, throwing the papers on to the table. He looked at Dearka, gave him a smirk and said "I bet _you _are looking forward to the extra time in Paris, you'll probably see it as a vacation".

"No such luck buddy," Dearka sighed. "They've changed my schedule again and I have been asked to stay back in The PLANTS. Lacus' orders, since you and Yamato will be with her on Earth, she really wants someone " he paused giving Yzak a triumphant look before adding "_**trusts completely**_ to stay behind ".

"Well, good for you", said Yzak, pushing his chair. "You'll have plenty to do. Look at my schedule, even after the Peace talks in Paris, I'll waste half a day at the Gibraltar base" he shook his head in exasperation. He got up and went to the window. In a low voice he added, "I just hope this time, the peace talks work out. I don't want to be going to war in another year's time". It was a testimony to his friendship with Dearka; there were very few people who would ever hear the fatigue in his voice.

This was not lost on Dearka who eyed him solemnly. "It will. Everyone, naturals and co-ordinators alike are tired of wars. The one good thing Durrandal did was to wipe out LOGOS. Plus, with so many of the smaller nations demanding independence or at least, greater autonomy from the Earth Alliance, things are looking better for the PLANTS. Not to mention that in the second war, the ZAFT Forces were often seen as heroes and saviours. All this adds up in our favour."

ZAFT forces as saviours for naturals? Yzak narrowed his eyes, something about that statement gave him a sense of déjà vu. It took him a few seconds before he remembered. Of course, that natural girl, Flay something or another had said the same thing. Well actually, she'd said that _he_ had been _her_ saviour. He hadn't thought about her in a long time. After their meeting two years ago, he had thought about the meeting once or twice –not that he had mentioned it to anyone -but then the Junius Seven incident had happened within a week or so and things had escalated from that time onwards.

" Did you see Lacus' schedule?" Dearka's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Which one? They keep changing these things all the time" he said turning around to look at his friend.

"The latest one," Dearka replied, sifting through the papers. "Apparently, there is a new meeting scheduled with a non-official representative. Aaah, here it is", he said, taking out a sheet of paper. "Remember that girl Flay Allster?"

Yzak's eyes widened in surprise. Strange that he had just been thinking of her. "What about her?"

"Well, she's set up this organisation called the George Allster Foundation for Peace. And she proposes some cultural exchange between the Atlantic Federation and The PLANTS. Didn't she tell you something like that when you met her?"

"You mean she's actually going through with it?" Yzak's surprise was genuine as he took the paper from Dearka's hand and scanned it.

"Well, she sounded quite serious to me", Dearka replied. "Why are you surprised?"

"In case you haven't noticed, there's been another war in the meantime."

"All the more reason to dispel misunderstandings and end hatred by coming to a mutual understanding and respect for each other " said Dearka in a lofty manner.

Yzak looked at him before curtly replying " You got that from the Foundation's manifesto".

"Hey, I never said those words were mine" Dearka replied, raising both his hands up in a mocking gesture. This did not fail in bringing a much needed smile to his friend's face.

"I saw Lacus this morning. She finds the idea appealing. So, you might be seeing more of this highly grateful fan of yours. Let's just hope she doesn't start stalking you".

Yzak couldn't help but roll his eyes at this. "Don't you have other things to do?" he asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do. See ya."

Yzak watched Dearka leave and looked at the paper again. Flay Allster would be in Paris for the peace talks. And he had an entire day to kill. Well, maybe it was about time to take up on the offer she'd made two years ago.

April, CE 75

Flay looked at her watch. She was five minutes early. She had given herself time to undergo security checks etc and was now waiting at the hotel lobby. She sighed. She wasn't sure how to feel about this. To begin with, the meeting yesterday afternoon with Lacus Clyne had been awkward – how could it have been otherwise? She had threatened to kill the girl at one point! And the girl was dating her ex. Flay had tried her best to be diplomatic and mature and to give Lacus credit, the latter had been polite and listened to Flay's request. But, while Lacus had been supportive of the plans in spirit, she had declined them on the grounds that the timing was not quite right. _Yeah, right_, Flay had thought. Simply put, the PLANTS Mediator probably held a grudge against her and didn't trust her.

And now this! She had been left speechless when, barely a week ago she had received a message on her phone from Yzak Joule. It was short and straight to the point "Hello, this is a message for Flay Allster from Yzak Joule. I am taking you up on your offer. I will be in Paris on the 17th of April and would like to see Versailles. Meet me at the lobby of Hotel La Grand Palace at 10:00 hours. Bye."

Seriously, it was like he was giving out military orders to one of his subordinates! Did he just expect her to drop everything and come running to Paris to see him? Once she had gotten over the shock, she realised he must have known about her meeting with Lacus and was probably part of the entourage from PLANTS attending the peace summit. She figured he must have some free time on his schedule. Now it made more sense! And she was glad he had actually told her where he wanted to go; imagine if she'd been left with the task of deciding how to entertain him! She didn't know the guy but she had a feeling he would be hard to please. So here she was, tickets to Versailles booked, a small knapsack on her back, a smart double breasted beige spring jacket lined in black, green chinos, a pale blue top that could only be described as smart causal - Flay didn't do the very casual look - and comfortable but stylish wedge heels with little idea of how this day was going to proceed. _Oh well, _she thought_. I did make him an offer two years ago and it's only fair to fulfil my side of the bargain_. To be honest, she was glad he had survived the war and partially flattered that he had remembered her after all this while.

"You must have made quite an impression, " Michelle had said .

" Either that or he's really desperate for company!" Bart had said with a sardonic smile.

"Flay Allster." Yzak Joule's crisp voice brought her back to the present.

"Yzak Joule" she managed with a small smile. "How do you do?"

"I am well, thank you." Came the reply.

She stood there for a moment, in awkward silence. This was the first time she had seen him in civilian clothes and yet, he still looked sharp and radiated the same air of confidence, authority and arrogance that she had always sensed in him.

"Shall we go?" his voice brought her back to reality.

She nodded and they made their way out of the hotel.

"I thought we'd take the train. It's fast and I haven't got a car here ..."

"I am driving"

_OK, so 40 minutes or so in the car, just the two of us, _she thought_. _She had no idea what to expect. A train ride would have meant a more public situation; they could have admired the passing scenery, made some comments about the weather on earth and in space, engaged in meaningless chit chat with fellow passengers. She has been planning what to say during the day – at the Chateau, they would follow a tour guide, exchange some comments about the art, interiors and architecture; in the grounds, they could discuss landscaping, she could discuss more on the history of the place etc. All these were topics she was familiar with and interested in. But now, she would have to think of extra topics of conversation for the journey.

Once in the car, she started by making polite small talk; was this his first time in Paris (yes), had he seen much of the city (no), was he enjoying himself (he was a delegate at a peace conference - not much to enjoy). _Now I know why this is called small talk_ she thought. She looked out of the window, watched as the city changed into suburbia, and then into towns dotted along the motorway.

"Do you mind if I turn the radio on?" she asked.

"Go ahead," came the reply.

She tried one station – Lacus Clyne. She switched to another one, and then another one. _Was every station playing Lacus Clyne?Just because she was visiting Paris? Had the world run out of music?_

"Don't you like her music?"

Great, a Lacus fan!

"I was hoping to find something a bit more lively. From what little I've heard of her songs they seem to be quite , erm, soft and slow."

"She's greatly admired for her songs as well as her political acumen. They love her in The PLANTS, probably more than any other singer. Her songs for peace give hope to people."It was clear he was one of her admirers.

Feeling a little irritated she replied " Here on earth, we have so many musical acts, in different languages , different musical traditions. I guess I just like more variety."

Since she couldn't find anything she wanted to listen to, she decided to enjoy the scenery.

"You know, I was very surprised to get your message. A pleasant one. I ... am glad you... survived the war." She glanced sideways at him "Although I didn't think you would have remembered me."

Turning his face slightly sideways and looking straight at her, Yzak replied " I have a good memory".

Flays couldn't help but let a small smile tug at her lips.

"Besides," he continued, turning to look at the road ahead of him, " you owe me a guided tour of any place on earth remember?"

Flay was certain there was a hint of amusement in his voice. She turned to see his face; he was focussed on driving the car but she was certain his eyes had a glimmer of amusement. So he has a humourous side after all, she thought. Feeling more relaxed, she leaned back in her seat, observing the scenery and carrying on with her attempts at small talk.

And it seemed to work. He showed an interest in the tour, listened to her explanations and exclamations about the various works of art and gave his opinions – albeit briefly – when asked. When she asked him what he thought of the Palace's famous Hall of Mirrors , he said "it's very bright in here". Flay couldn't help but laugh, not in the manner she had been taught in her childhood of raising her hand to her mouth – ladylike, her nanny had told her – but a more spontaneous laugh, one she had picked up in the company of her new friends. She did not realise the sight she made, surrounded by mirrors, her hair illuminated by the sun's rays. But when she saw Yzak staring at her, she hastily said " I didn't mean to laugh at you but you must admit, that was pretty funny."

They continued with the parks, Flay explaining the background to the Palace. "You didn't bring a camera?" she enquired , when she realised he hadn't taken a single picture.

"Don't really need to."

Upon seeing her surprised expression, Yzak continued , " I just wanted to see the place ."

Flay looked at him for a moment. "In that case, let me take you to the best part of Versailles. In my opinion anyway."

They hopped on to a train that took them to the Petit Trianon. Flay was in her element now. Her love of art had been evident earlier; now she was able to use her knowledge of history. She told him about the Queen who had made this house her home, a long time ago, in the AD era; how she had disliked the grandeur and the formality of the main Palace and preferred to live here with her children in relative simplicity, how she had even had a small village built , with a farm and a mill and a dairy and "oh, the garden was just so beautiful. No manicured lawns or anything, it had more of a wild look to it. We'll be there shortly. I've packed some snacks, we can eat them there."

" You've packed food?" Yzak's voice sounded as surprised as his face.

"All this walking can make people very hungry," she replied, pointing to her rucksack. "I've been here before. As a child, I loved coming here."

" You mean you've been carrying food in that bag all this while?" Yzak sounded incredulous now.

"Yes, why?" Flay looked at him , unsure why he was getting upset.

"Give me that bag," he demanded.

Flay obliged; she really didn't know what she had done wrong. Was he going to inspect her bag or something?

Yzak lifted the bag, eyed her and said "it's quite heavy. At least 8 pounds or so." He then carried on walking with it.

"Hey, wait, why are you..."

"I thought you were just carrying, well, .. you know... female stuff in here. Personal stuff. I didn't know you were carrying food for me too. I can't let a girl carry my load "

She stood there for a moment, shocked, watching him as he went ahead of her. "That's sexist", she said, loud enough for him to hear her.

""No, it's called being a gentleman", came an equally annoyed sounding reply.

"Do you treat all the female ZAFT soldiers this way?" she demanded.

"You are NOT a soldier of ZAFT" came the reply, as he carried on walking.

She was annoyed but decided not to say anything. If he wanted to be the gentleman, well she'd let him. Besides, she could do with a break from carrying that thing around.

Touring the garden, they came across a clearing which Flay decided was a good place for a picnic. Yzak watched her empty the bag - some sandwiches, apples, bananas, drinks, hand wipes, and a mat to sit on .

"You are organised " he commented.

"I've been here before, remember," she replied, placing everything on the mat.

"Did you live here as a child?"

"For a while. After my mother died, my father was posted in Paris" she replied, offering him a sandwich.

Yzak took the sandwich and sat down , taking in the view.

"Why did you specifically ask to see this place? Are you a history buff or something?" asked Flay, taking a bite.

"My parents liked coming here. Growing up, my mother often spoke of this place" Yzak replied, still looking at the views around him.

"You must be close to your parents. Your first trip to Paris and you've decided to look up the place your parents talked about." Flay replied in a quiet tone.

"Only my mother. My father died when I was young." Yzak replied.

Flay was quiet for a minute." No siblings?" she enquired.

" No, " came the brief reply.

"Just like me," said Flay, looking down at the grass in front of her. "Growing up, I always longed for a sibling."

"Not me, I had cousins and friends." Yzak replied, finishing his sandwich.

"You had cousins?" Flay looked up .

"Yes, cousins, uncles aunts and all," Yzak replied, helping himself to another sandwich.

A stab of envy pierced through her heart. All this while, she had tried to cope with her loneliness, surrounded by naturals who had families and here was a coordinator – a people who were supposed to be suffering from worryingly low birth rates – who had cousins, uncles and aunts. And from the sound of it, he seemed to be on good terms with them. Why was she the only one she knew who had no family at all? Both sets of grandparents had thought one child was enough; distant relatives had died in wars and uprisings or fallen out in family feuds over wealth and inheritance. A wave of anger swept through her; why oh why did people only have one child?

"Are you ok?" Yzak's words brought her out of thoughts.

" You were lucky to have cousins. I didn't have any cousins or siblings." She answered looking at a tree in the distance, trying but failing to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "When I have children, " she added in a determined tone, "I'll makes sure I never have an only child."

No sooner had she said this that it dawned on her what she had done. She had just revealed her innermost thoughts to … Yzak Joule of all people! He must think she was totally weird! A minute passed in complete silence. Flay became aware of Yzak's penetrating gaze on her face. Reluctantly, she turned to face him. He looked at her, as though trying to read her. He then leaned back on his arms and said in a decisive tone " You don't look the type."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded. This picnic was not going well. She had already acted stupid and now he was annoying her even more.

" You don't look the maternal type." Yzak shrugged. "I mean , look at Lacus Clyne. She spent two years at an orphanage, taking care of children. "

Lacus Clyne again? Was there no escaping the perfect pink princess?The woman infuriated her no end. This was unbearable. Flay turned her head sharply in Yzak's direction and snapped " So I am no Lacus Clyne. Big deal! Not everyone may look after orphans but everyone loves **their** children. You are no Kira Yamato, but I bet when you have children, you'll love them too. "

Yzak looked taken aback; he had not expected such an outburst. Flay looked away, deciding a change of topic would be the best, asked "So, have you found the peace talks fruitful?"

Yzak , who had still been looking at her, narrowed his eyes and replied in his crisp tone " you know that is classified information." He paused. "How did your talks go? You had a meeting yesterday didn't you ?"

_Great,_ she thought. _Back to Lacus Clyne again_!

"Not too good. They like my ideas but don't think the timing is quite right."

Yzak took a sip from his drink before replying " She is right. This probably is not a good time. It is too soon for this type of thing."

_That's it_! Flay couldn't take it anymore.

"I think she doesn't trust me. All because I threatened to kill her once." She replied angrily.

Yzak spluttered out the last of his drink. "You what?"

Flay closed her eyes. Still looking away, she replied somewhat agitated "it happened when she came on board the Archangel. We found ourselves in the midst of a battle ... my father's ship was there as well..I .. wanted them to stop... shooting at my Dad's ship and..." Flay sighed. Opening her eyes she added in a quiet tone " I wasn't even part of the Earth Forces at the time."

She turned to look at Yzak. He had an incredulous look on his face until..." Lacus isn't petty and doesn't hold grudges ," came the assertive response.

They looked at each other for a moment. "Well, I suppose you know her better than I do," stated Flay, shrugging her shoulders.

Yzak continued looking at her before turning to his watch.

"We should leave now. I have a dinner appointment," he said, packing things away .

"You go ahead, I'll go back on my own later," came the reply.

"Are you sure?" there was a slight hint of disbelief in his voice.

Picking up the bag, she stood up. "Yes, I am. I haven't been here for a while so I'd like to stay on for a little while longer. I am leaving tomorrow morning and have no plans for visiting Paris anytime soon."

"Going back to the Atlantic Federation?" Yzak queried, partly out of courtesy, partly out of curiosity.

Flay managed a small smile. " No, to Andalusia." Seeing Yzak's look of confusion, she added" it's in Iberia, close to ZAFT's Gibraltar base."

"Another Peace Meeting or something?" Yzak asked as they started walking.

"No," she replied, the smile widening. " I have a house there, I will be staying there for a couple of weeks. I wasn't able to visit the place earlier because of all the trouble in the region but now that things have quietened down, I am looking forward to it."

Yzak stopped and turned to look at her. "I'll make my way from here."

Flay, wanting to avoid any more awkward moments, spoke straightaway " Well, I hope you enjoyed your visit."

"I did," came the swift reply. He looked at the grass; he seemed to be contemplating something for a moment. Then, moving his glance towards Flay, he gave her a nod, before saying "Thank you," in a mellow tone , which Flay had never heard Yzak use before. And with that, he turned on his heels and walked away.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N : This chapter is perhaps not as good as I wanted it to be, but I promised myself I will publish this by Yzak's birthday, so here it is ! **

**Thanks to all those who have read and especially to those who have reviewed. Your support means a lot. **

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" I must admit I was a little worried at first. But I am glad things went well during the Peace Talks." Lacus Cylne said in her usually chirpy manner. " What with most of Eurasia clamouring for independence from the Alliance and taking a more pro-Plants approach, things are looking good."

"But not for everyone," replied Yzak after a brief moment.

"Oh. Why do you say that?" Lacus enquired.

"Well, I met that girl who wants to set up the cultural exchange programme. She said you refused to give her permission to go ahead."

"You met Flay?" Kira enquired, looking up from his food , which he had been focussing on all the while , letting Lacus do all the talking. The three were having dinner at a restaurant after a long week of negotiations.

"Yes," came the brief reply.

"But why was there a meeting arranged with a ZAFT official? She hasn't even had an approval from the Council yet?" Lacus was genuinely surprised.

"Oh, it wasn't an official meeting," replied Yzak, carrying on eating his dinner.

"You mean, you know Flay?" Kira's voice mirrored the surprise on his face. "How"?

"She was on board the Vesalius, and then… it's a long story. Basically, I guess you can say, she owed me a favour."

Looking up, Yzak found his dinner companions staring at him. Yamato had sounded surprised but that was only to be expected but Lacus? Could it be that Flay's accusation had a grain of truth?

" I see," Lacus said. " Well, as you know, after the Requiem destroyed six of the PLANTS, anti-natural sentiments were quite high . While I agree with the proposal, I don't think the timing is right. There would be security concerns with such a project under any circumstances but to allow a natural to stay in the PLANTS indefinitely may not be in our interests. We don't want to be held responsible should anything happen to her."

"Granted that anti-natural sentiments run high among some members of the population. But coordinators don't have a record of xenophobia like the naturals, " countered Yzak."Surely, we can get her to sign an undertaking saying she will be responsible for her own safety at all times whilst in PLANTS. " Seeing Lacus hesitate, he added "Or is it the case that you think **she** is the wrong person. I understand the girl threatened to kill you once." He paused for a response.

"You know Lacus would never hold a grudge like that," came Yamato's swift response.

Yzak replied with a scowl, "I do. I am just trying to investigate all possibilities."

"And Flay is not the wrong person. In fact," he added looking at Lacus whose resolve was wavering, "she's definitely the right person for the job."

Looking at Yzak , he added " She needs to do this, just like we need to do our work for peace."

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Flay put down the phone, emotions a mixture of surprise and annoyance. She had just spoken with Yzak_. The man calls me up at night and asks to see me at 9:30 the next morning at the ZAFT base in Gibraltar! I mean, does he think I have nothing to do! _Before she could say anything, he had cut her off by telling her it's about her programme and he hoped it was possible for her to make it. Curious, she had agreed. _But now,_ she thought,_ what am I going to do about tomorrow?_

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"Commander, your visitor is here," saluted the green uniformed ZAFT soldier as he stood at the door.

"Send her in," replied Yzak, putting down a file. Looking up, his eyes widened in surprise as he took in the sight in front of him. _What is the girl wearing? _was all he could think. For standing in front of him was Flay Allster, wearing a dull grey coat made of some light material which reached down to her knees with a riot of plain mauve erupting underneath. A similar set of frills were threatening to explode from under the jacket sleeves. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun with a white rose, a white pouch hanging from her right hand, and large white loop earrings dangling from her ears, completed the picture. Now he didn't know the girl well but somehow, he had the impression that she had a good sense of dress. Shaking himself out of his thoughts he gestured her to take a seat.

"You made it in time," he said.

"I did. Took the first train out this morning." Flay replied sitting down. "Can you please explain to me why I am here?"

"The PLANTS Supreme Council will consider your proposal in a favourable light but there is a stipulation. The PLANTS will not be held responsible for your safety at any point." Yzak replied firmly.

"That's why you called me here?" Flay looked somewhat annoyed now. "You could have told me this over the phone last night? I wouldn't have turned up looking like this, attracting the stares of all ZAFT forces at the base!"

"I thought it best we discuss this face to face. " came the stern reply "Besides, if you agree to the terms and condition , you can sign the documents right here and I can submit them to the Council, " he said passing her a file. " Why **are** you dressed like **that** anyway?" Yzak asked raising an eyebrow.

" I take it you are not familiar with the place or the traditions of the area," Flay replied narrowing her eyes.

Upon meeting with a silent reply, Flay continued " This is the Feria de Abril season in Andalusia. Every year in April, the fair is held over a week. It is a time for festivities and celebrating the cultural heritage of the region. Many people dress in traditional clothes when they visit the fairground. I plan to go there later today and figured I would save time going back to my house and getting into my costume later if I came here in these clothes." Then, looking down at her dress, she added, " I didn't want to turn up at the base looking like a Flamenco dancer, so, I borrowed my housekeeper's coat." She had a slight look of distaste on her face as she said this.

"I see." Yzak replied somewhat thoughtfully."Anyway," he straightened up, his face taking on a stern appearance again, "Aren't you pleased your project has been given the green signal?"

"Yes," replied Flay, her face relaxing. " I am just surprised." She paused for a second. Then, tilting her head slightly, she asked cautiously, "Did you speak to Lacus Clyne about this?"

" We discussed it . Yamato supported the proposal saying you were the right person…."

"Kira said that?" Flay's eyes widened as she said this.

Yzak noticing the girl's lost wide eyed look, frowned and said " **I** brought the matter up with Lacus!"

"Oh" said Flay, returning to the present. "Thank you," she said, smiling warmly at him.

"But what about you? Are you really ready to do this?"Yzak said ignoring the smile. "You have a record of trying to shoot unarmed coordinators. First , Lacus Clyne, then a ZAFT prisoner of war on board the Archangel…"

"I don't go about trying to kill people, natural or coordinators," snapped Flay, clearly annoyed. Leaning forward she continued " I've only done this when someone I love is threatened or killed by ZAFT forces. And that was a long time ago. You know why I threatened to kill Lacus Clyne. The other ZAFT guy? That was when I thought Kira had been killed and …I...was … upset…" Flay's voiced trailed away.

Yzak Joule sat through the outburst with the same frown until he put two and two together.

"You love Kira Yamato?" he spluttered out.

The question had clearly startled Flay. She hadn't realised what she'd said. She clenched her fists, closing her eyes she said " No, I mean , we were on the Archangel together and…". Exasperated, she opened her eyes and looking directly at Yzak she demanded, " What sort of a question is that anyway? How is it any of ZAFT's busy who I may or may not have a past relationship with?"

Yzak, who was still stunned by the revelation, simply muttered "Nothing." Then, straightening himself, he resumed " In any case, you are responsible for your safety…"

"I know that. You've told me already remember?" snapped Flay.

"Then, why don't you sign the documents?" Yzak replied in his crisp Commander tone.

"I'll read them first !" replied Flay as she started going through the file.

After a few minutes, she asked for a pen. As Yzak handed her one, a knock was heard on the door. A soldier entered and nervously informed Yzak that owing to some mechanical problems, his shuttle needed to undergo some repairs and thus, it's departure would be delayed to 18:30 hours.

"What?" Yzak shouted back at the perspiring soldier."An entire day wasted! Couldn't you have done these checks yesterday?" he shouted.

"We are sorry, sir," the poor guy replied. "I.. wa was jj just…" stammered the soldier.

"That will do," snapped Yzak. "Imbeciles, never get anything done properly," he muttered to himself.

He turned to look at Flay who had finished signing the document. "This Feria de Abril thing you are going to. This is one of those things that's been happening for hundreds of years right?"he demanded.

"Yes," replied Flay.

"So what happens there? Do people re-enact important events from their history, do they sell historical artefacts or something?"

Flay looked thoughtfully for a second before replying. "Well, some of the songs do tell popular folklore stories. There are stalls that sell handicrafts unique to the region. The shops in the old town do sell antiques. In the past, most of the shops used to be closed during the festival season but because of the poor economic conditions in the region in recent years, most of the shops stay open during this week. There is still a bull ring but they don't practice Bull fighting anymore. "

Yzak looked at her for a second, something going through his mind.

" Can I come along?" he asked in his usual crisp manner.

"Huh?" came Flay's surprised reply.

"I said, can I come along? I have more than 8 hours to kill. How long does it take to get there?"

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Yzak found himself actually enjoying the landscape as it swept past the train. He could see that Flay was happy and in good spirits as she pointed out sights of interest to him.

"Look, that's one of the _Pueblo Blancos_ i.e white towns, so called because all the buildings in the village are white. There are several of them in this region. Oh and that's the ruins of an old fortress over there. Can you see it?" she was pointing in the distance.

"You know this place well?" he asked.

" My mother was from here" she replied. Still looking out into the distance, she carried on with a small smile, " We used to come here often to visit my grandmother. When my mother became ill, we moved here while my father worked in the Atlantic Federation. " She was quiet for a moment. "After she died, my father was posted to Paris. I would still visit my grandmother from time to time until she too passed away. Around that time, Daddy was posted back to the Atlantic Federation."

"You've lived in quite a few places then?" he commented.

She nodded her head, turning to look at him. "That's one of the perks I suppose of growing up with a parent in the Foreign Service. I was 9 when we moved back to the Federation and 11 when we moved to Orb. A couple of years later, when tensions escalated between the PLANTS and the Earth nations, my father was called back to the Federation. He decided it would be safer for me to carry on living in a neutral nation. For some reason, he felt living in space was a good option and that's how I ended up in Heliopolis."

"What about you?" she asked relaxing into her seat. Have you always lived in The PLANTS?"

"Yes," he responded by relaxing in his seat. "Did you ever finish college?"

"Last year," she replied with a small smile.

"I see. So what have you been up to since then?" he asked.

"Oh, working on this, raising money for war victims, doing some interior designing work for a friend's new hotel," came the reply.

"So what are you doing at this fair?"

"Dancing," she replied with a small laugh which led a glow to her face. For a second, Yzak caught himself thinking she reminded him of some painting he had come across in his art books at school. Renaissance Art or the Impressionists or something like that was the term his teacher had used. Unsure what the meaning of Yzak's silent stare was, she continued "Oh, it's very safe. People here are not as anti-coordinator as those in some other parts of the world. With the presence of the ZAFT base in Gibraltar and the events of the second war, the naturals here enjoy fairly decent relations with coordinators. So your uniform is not going to cause you any problems," she said, impulsively touching the top of his hand as if to reassure him.

This contact jolted Yzak out of his reverie. Noticing this, she quickly pulled her hand away.

"Getting back to your question," she carried on as she settled back into her seat, " I was invited to go to the fair by some neighbours who own a _caseta_ which is a marquee tent at the fair. I was there a couple of days ago as well. It's fun. You'll like it."

" What else do people do at this fair?" he asked, straightening himself .

" Party," she replied with a gleeful look. "I hope you won't be disappointed with the Fair. To be honest, most people go there to party. You see, this fair has been going on for a hundreds of years. It's popularity has waned at times but, in times such as these, where lives have been torn apart by war, people look at traditions such as these to help them through. It's the same everywhere. In times of uncertainty, traditions thrive because they offer people some sort of assurance," she finished with an air of confidence. Looking out of the window, she exclaimed "Look, we are here."

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True to Flay's word, Yzak did not find any unwanted attention at the fair. In fact, he not only spotted a few ZAFT uniforms, he was sure some of the people dressed up in the colourful costumes from a long time ago, were also coordinators. He was briefly introduced to Flay's friends, who appeared to be people of high standing in the area. He watched Flay and the dancers as they tapped their feet to the beat of Flamenco music. She had removed her garish grey coat and he had to admit, the flamenco dress looked better than he'd imagined. In fact, the dress, and Flay, looked much better than most of the other young girls in traditional attire. As he watched Flay clapping her hands, swirling her body, and encouraging a couple of children who had stood up to dance with her, he couldn't help but think "Nice curves".

"You bet," came an unexpected reply in a masculine voice."Specially, on the red head."

Yzak turned to his left in horror. He hadn't realised he had voiced out his thoughts aloud. He scowled at the man, who most people would have described as an attractive young man, but Yzak could only think of as a pervert. Luckily for the man, he went off to get himself a drink, leaving Yzak to cast a glance at the dancers. Flay glanced at him, and with a genuine smile, beckoned him to join her on the dance floor. Taken aback, he tried to turn down the offer by taking a step backwards, only to stumble into a middle aged woman who did not look pleased despite Yzak's mumbling apologies. From the corner of his eye, he saw Flay giggling over his mishap and as soon as he could, he left the _caseta_.

He strolled along the fairground, soaking in the sights, sounds and aromas of the place. The weather was lovely, the music not to his taste but watching the dancers swirl gracefully, children playing in traditional clothes , young couples courting, he couldn't help but compare the scene to the PLANTS. There were no such traditions in his homeland; coordinators from all over the world had arrived there, leaving most of their traditions behind to form a new world. So focussed had they been in developing this new world, they had not even bothered setting new traditions, most coordinators seeing such things as "regressive" and "something that naturals do". A year ago, the world was at war, but looking at the fair today, you would think nothing had happened. Perhaps Flay was right, perhaps beliefs and traditions thrived in times of strife to give people reassurance.

"Hey, there," Flay's voice made him turn around. " Are you hungry? I am famished. Let's get some tapas" she pointed to a nearby stall.

" Are you enjoying yourself?" she asked after they'd placed an order.

"Yes,"he replied.

"So do you think something like this will work? I was thinking of having a flamenco show as part of my programme. You know, get some of the best flamenco artists to perform in The PLANTS?"

He looked around him. A couple of flamenco performers had stood up. Before he could reply, Flay gushed " Oooh, I love this one. The song is based on an old folkore. It tells the story of a pair of star crossed lovers. He was a Prince and she was a Princess from warring kingdoms. They fell in love when the Princess was captured during a war. But he had to return her to her kingdom. They spent much time apart but eventually, she ran away to be with the Prince. It was a forbidden romance. You can just see how passionate the dance is !"

They watched the rest of the performance in silence, the soulful song and the dancers clearly mesmerising the audience. After they had finished eating, Yzak asked if there were any particular handicrafts the region was famous for. She took him to some stalls and pointed out to some exquisitely decorated combs.

"These," she said picking one up and examining it " are a speciality of the region. They say that if a man gives a woman a comb, it's a sign of true love and they end up getting married. You must have seen some of the girls wearing these in their hair today. " Then, looking just a little too mischievous for his liking, she asked, "Why don't you get one for your girlfriend?"

"I don't have a girlfriend," he almost barked. He had a feeling he was blushing so he turned his face away, hoping she would change the topic.

"Oh, " she replied in a surprised manner. "Well ," she started looking around, " How about something else then, for yourself or your mother?" she suggested. " This region is famous for beautiful jewellery set in semi-precious stones. The best place for this would be the old town."

"No, I don't have that much time," he replied gruffly. "Can't we find something here?"

"I don't know," she replied doubtfully. "But let's have a look around shall we?" she suggested with a beaming smile.

"You are very happy today, aren't you?" he asked as they carried on walking.

"Of course," came a chirpy reply. "My programme has been approved, I am having a great time at one of my favourite places. Look, that stall has some jewellery, "she said, pointing to the right.

Once Yzak finished making his purchase, he tried excusing himself. But Flay was insistent she'd walk him to the train station.

"I am a Coordinator, a ZAFT Commander, I am fully capable of finding my way back ," he'd replied with a frown.

" This, has NOTHING to do with being a coordinator or natural. It's just manners," she'd replied. That shut him up.

As they made their way back to the train station, Yzak found himself asking when should be moving to The PLANTS.

"I don't know. I was planning to stay here for a few more days. I guess within in a couple of months, if everything goes well," Flat replied. "Your train will be here in a minute," she said, looking at the notice boards.

Yzak stood quietly for a moment, his hands in his pockets, unsure of how to proceed. Suddenly, he took something out and giving it to Flay said "Here, this is my card. You'll probably need some help being a natural in the PLANTS. " He looked away as he said this.

Flay looked surprised but she thanked him for the card. Wishing him a safe journey, she watched as he proceeded to the platform. Just as he was about to board the train, Yzak turned around. Flay was about to turn back herself but stopped herself from doing so when she saw him. He was not surprised when she gave him a small smile and waved. What surprised him was when he repeated the gesture with a small wave and a smile that he himself knew was rare.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOO


End file.
